Growing Pains

Growing pains is a common term discussed by parents. Growing pains are described as achy muscle pain that affect some preschoolers and primary school children. Despite the name “growing pains,” there is no firm evidence that growing pains are linked to growth spurts.

Symptoms

Pain usually occurs in late afternoon or evenings, and may cause your child to wake up during the night

Causes

The cause of growing pains remains unclear. The following theories however are major contributors:

Increased activity – strenuous activities such as running, jumping and sports may result in muscle tiredness and pain in the feet and legs

Poor lower limb posture – children who have collapsing arches (over-pronation) have more stress placed on their feet and legs and are often more prone to suffering ‘growing pains’

Tight muscles – during growth children often have tight muscles which places more stress on tendons, bones and joints and can contribute to more generalised pain

Joint hypermobility – where the ligaments are more ‘stretchy’ than they should be and therefore cannot provide adequate support to the joints. This means muscles in the feet and legs have to work harder to provide the stability – often resulting in generalised pain

Treatment

Firstly it’s very important to rule out any more insidious causes of your child’s pain. See your GP if your child presents with the following: severe pain in only one leg, if pain affects them during the day, if the pain makes them limp, if they have joint swelling and redness, if they feel unwell or have a fever.

Don’t let your child suffer from ‘growing pains’ when it can be managed successfully – yet your child is still growing! Give Foundation Podiatry a call today to have their foot posture, gait and school shoes assessed.